Living in Reality
by megashypuppy
Summary: *MAJOR DANGANRONPA V3 SPOILERS* What kinds of things did people think about in their final moments? Kokichi had never really thought about it before, but now? Here he was, near death, about to be crushed by a hydraulic press and his mind stays racing. (Kokichi dies, crushed by the hydraulic press, but wakes up and finds out that the killing game was actually a virtual reality.)
1. Kokichi

What kinds of things did people think about in their final moments? Kokichi had never really thought about it before, but now? Here he was, near death, about to be crushed by a hydraulic press and his mind stays racing.

Maybe he'd imagined everything in his head slowing down and shutting off before the moment happened. Maybe he thought it would happen suddenly and he wouldn't have a chance to anticipate it. But the press moves so slowly and it's unbearable. If part of Kokichi's mind wasn't occupied with the pain in his back and arm from Maki's arrows he doubts he could be as still.

But his head is full of other thoughts too. Kokichi thinks about D.I.C.E and how he'll never be able to see them again. He never even got a chance to say goodbye to them. He's abandoning all of them, leaving them without a leader or an explanation why. Kokichi was the one that brought them all together in the first place..! He created D.I.C.E for himself, wanting a family he could belong in, and now he's leaving that family he made with them. He wishes so much to see thing one last time, even for just a second. Tears threaten to pour from his eyes and he wants to see them so badly he almost rolls off of the press. A combination of the pain in his back and arm plus a small part of his mind stop him.

He never found out who the mastermind was. And he was so close to luring them out...! Why did he give that antidote to an idiot like Kaito? He's not smart enough to pull of that plan alone. Something will go wrong he knows it...! Shuichi will...!

Shuichi.

Dammit. Of course he pops into Kokichi's mind at a time like this, when he's thinking of all the mistakes he's made and regrets he has at once. The press gets closer and moves faster, but the speed increase could be in his head. He closes his eyes, trying not to think about the detective that will surely solve the case after he's gone. It's a pointless effort.

...T-there was so much he wanted to tell him...! Why..? Why didn't he just trust a single person...?

Kokichi curses his cowardice and distrust. It was only there because he didn't want to die and yet, here he is, about to be crushed into nothing.

All his work. Crushed into nothing. Useless.

The press comes down. The pain lasts for a second before everything turns black.

 **...**

He wakes up to a white room. His first thought is that he could be in heaven, but quickly shuts that down. A pure place like that couldn't take a liar like him. He turns his head, but finds it hard to move and when his vision begins to focus Kokichi realizes that he's wearing some kind of helmet.

 _What?_

He goes to remove it, but finds that his arms won't respond to what his brain is telling them. Once again Kokichi is faced with the same uselessness he felt when he was still alive and thinks that Hell is pretty fucked up if it can mess him up within a couple of seconds. He wants to cry but doesn't want to feel weak and he hates it. He continues to try and move his arms, his legs, his hands, _something_...! The tears begin form at the corners of his eyes and Kokichi wants to scream. His heart is pounding hard in his chest and all he wants is to _move_...!

Everything stops when someone rushes into the room.

 _ **What?**_

Kokichi thinks he sees a nurse or doctor or something like that, but it can't be. It can't be because he's already _dead_. There shouldn't need to be doctors or nurses to help him because he doesn't need it. He's _dead._ _ **Dead.**_

Kokichi's head is spinning and when the person in the room tries to speak to him he can't hear it. His eyes lose focus. His thoughts race and his head hurts and he _still_ can't get his body to _move_ even though all he wants is to curl up in a ball and make everything _stop_..!

The room goes black.

 **...**

Kokichi wakes up in the same white room as before and notices that the helmet that was on his head before has disappeared. He still can't move his arms, but his fingers twitch when he tries to move them. That's good, at least he still has some control left. He looks to his right and sees the same person from before. He feels his heart pound in his chest and he wants to go back to the darkness again, but he also wants some explanation so he tries to calm down. It works for the most part and this time he can hear the person when they speak to him.

"Hey, are you finally calming down? You gave us quite the scare there Ouma. Can you tell me how you're doing?"

"W-What are you talking about?" Kokichi finds that his voice feels rough, like he hasn't used it in a long time. He ignores it, glad that he has control of his voice at least. "This is...I died, didn't I? What is this?" The man, he finally realizes as his eyes focus more sharply, smiles at him.

"Ah, yes, in the game you did pass away. However, that doesn't mean that your real body stopped breathing." His heart stops for a moment and his stomach drops.

"Wh-what? Real b-body?" He can't stop the stutter in his words. His head begins to spin again and he wills himself to calm down. "Y-You mean to tell me that the killing game wasn't real?!" Kokichi's voice raises without him meaning to, but he can't bring himself to care.

"Yes. You were selected to participate in a virtual reality killing game. None of that was real."

Kokichi wants to scream at that man. He wants to punch that guy in the face because how can he say that..?! None of it was real? It can't be true. And even if it was just a 'virtual reality' like the man says, he still felt and continues to feel everything that happened in that stupid game. He remembers all of the horrors; every victim, every execution, Miu and Gonta...!

Suddenly he flashes back to the hydraulic press and he's back under it and he can't move or breathe...!

The man stands over him and suddenly Kokichi can feel himself begin to calm down. He looks toward the man for an explanation.

"I just injected you with something to help you calm down. It's not strong so you won't pass out like you did the last time. I had guessed that the news would cause you to react like that."

"...It...It was really just a...virtual reality?" The man nods. "So...All the people that were killed in the game are really alive?" The man nods again.

"Yes. They each woke up after their deaths in the game." Kokichi's eyes widen.

"A-Are they here?" The man shakes his head and Kokichi feels a pang of disappointment. He doesn't know why he feels that way since he's pretty sure that everyone hated him. Maybe Kaede and Rantaro don't, but everyone else definitely does. Kaito is the only one who knows the truth but he doesn't believe in what Kokichi said. The loneliness finally sinks in completely and again Kokichi feels all of his regrets at once.

"They're scattered in different hospitals according to where they went to school. Since Danganronpa got so popular every hospital has some sort of equipment to make sure the dive into the game goes smoothly for any participant. It makes it easy to pick any person in the country." A sound goes off and the man checks a device on his waist before standing up. "I'm sorry but I have to go. If you need anything just hit the call button on the remote. Oh, Danganronpa is on there too, if you want to know what's happening." Kokichi can't hold back the glare he throws at the man's back as he walks out the door. It drops as soon as the man leaves his sight.

He should feel so angry. He should be angry that the man suggested he watch the garbage from the killing game and he _is_. But he's also curious. He wants to know if Kaito followed through on their plan or if Shuichi saw right through it like he always does. However, watching that awful show himself will make it real. It will make the fact that it was all a virtual reality true. Everything that the man said true. And all the pain that he went though will have been for nothing. It would've all been solely for the purpose of someone's entertainment. And he doesn't want to think about that.

He closes his eyes. Kokichi wants to live in a lie for a little longer.

 **...**

When he opens his eyes the room is quiet, but he notices someone sitting beside him, looking up at the T.V in the corner of the room. His eyes focus a bit more and he realizes that the person isn't the doctor, but a student.

Rantaro Amami sits beside him. Kokichi gasps and causes Rantaro to look over at him. He smiles.

"Hey. I was wondering when you'd wake up. Good to see you again Kokichi." He can only stare at Rantaro. If he's here that means that everything is true. The killing game was a virtual reality. He suffered for nothing other than someone's entertainment. He wants to scream, but holds it in while Rantaro is around. Everything surrounding the killing game may be terrible, but Rantaro was a friend of his.

"Hey Rantaro! Did you miss me?" Rantaro only chuckles.

"Yeah, sure did. Life can be pretty boring without you." His eyes look down and turn sad. "Look, I know you probably hate this question, but how are you doing? I was told you only figured things out yesterday. Don't lie either. Please." Kokichi desperately wants to lie and say that he's fine. They could move on to something else and act like neither of them died in a virtual killing game. But Rantaro is looking at him seriously and Kokichi doesn't want to a face a disappointed look from him right now. He sighs.

"...I'm not doing fine at all. And that's not a lie. That mastermind really got me. I suspected that the killing game might've been being shown to people, but I never imagined that it was a virtual reality." The boy beside him nods.

"Yeah, I didn't either. And it was really difficult to wrap my head around the fact that I was still alive after all that. I figured that you would need to see someone to believe it." Kokichi lets out a laugh.

"You were right about that. I was still convincing myself that this was Hell until I saw you."

"I figured you'd think that. But after all the things you did in the game, you think you would go to Hell? You were only trying to help everyone weren't you? Taking on the role of the mastermind to lure the real one out was pretty selfless in my opinion." Kokichi's eyes widened.

"Wait, what? How do you know that that's what I was doing?"

"Well, I did keep up with the show after I died. Not for the first few days, but I got more and more curious as time went on. Did they solve my case? Who was the mastermind? I wanted to know." Kokichi couldn't blame him. He hates the game with every fiber of his being, but is so curious on what happened. Rantaro continues. "I knew that you weren't the mastermind, so when you started acting like it, I knew you had some sort of plan."

"How did you know that I wasn't the mastermind? I have been an excellent liar in the game after all."

"The mastermind was the one who killed me." Kokichi's heart stops.

 ** _Wh-What?_**

"Wait a minute. So it was Kae-"

"No. It was someone else. The shot she rolled missed and landed beside me. I was so confused that I didn't notice the mastermind coming up behind me." Kokichi can't believe what he's hearing. Kaede was innocent the entire time. She never killed anybody. The mastermind framed her and is still in that stupid killing game right now. If they could easily kill someone and let someone else take the fall what was the point?

Rantaro notices the looks on Kokichi's face. "I'm sorry for springing this up on you right away Kokichi. I should've held it in until you were better." Kokichi shakes his head and in doing so notices that he's regained more control of his movement.

"It's fine. I can handle it." He lies. There's already so much running through is head right now and another thing to add to it doesn't help very much. It's a distraction though. If he thinks about solving Rantaro's case it might move his mind away from reality for a bit.

"Okay. Anyway, I better get going. You need to rest and I have to go back home." When Rantaro stands up, Kokichi notices the uniform he initially did when he first woke up.

"Hey, are you already going back to school?" Rantaro looks down at his uniform before looking back at his friend.

"Yeah. My head hurt for a bit when I woke up, but I got better after the first day. I thought I would go crazy trying to figure things out with the killing game, so I figured I should distract myself somehow. School is boring, but a good distraction." With that, he takes his leave and Kokichi is left alone with his thoughts.

What Rantaro said about his head sound similar to how Kokichi can't move his body very much. He wonders if it has something to do with how they died in the game. If it clears up eventually, Kokichi thinks he'll be fine. As long as he isn't stuck with permanent damage to his nerves. God..! The killing game is in a virtual world, but the creators just had to make it as real as possible for him didn't they?

Kokichi feels like his thoughts are continuously moving in circles, repeating the same things over and over. It's overwhelming and he wants to shut it off for awhile.

He closes his eyes and falls into a light sleep as his thoughts slow down.

 **...**

He's too curious about the killing game and the results of the latest trial.

So when he reaches over for the remote on the table beside his bed, it doesn't surprise him. He turns to that channel and waits to see what's going on. It looks like the trial room, but everyone is gathered together so Kokichi assumes that it's over. And when he notices Kaito standing in the middle of everyone he throws the remote across the room and stops himself from screaming.

He knew. He _knew_ that there was no way that Kaito was going to follow through with his plan. Of course not because Shuichi is just too smart for his own good. But it still makes him angry. Even angrier because now that he knows that the killing game is all virtual, none of them would actually die if they made the wrong choice. They all could've ended the damn killing game already and come back to the real world. The suffering would've ended.

But none of them know that. How could they possibly guess that the whole thing is virtual? Kokichi desperately wishes to go back so he could tell them. He wants it so badly.

A nurse comes in and looks toward him, probably to investigate the cause of the loud sound the remote made when it hit the wall. She looks around and spots it on the ground, the back having come off and batteries scattered on the floor. She looks angry for a second before looking toward the T.V and her anger fades away. She picks up the remote and fixes it before putting it back on the table without a word. Kokichi is glad because he might not have been able to hold back his anger at her if she said anything about the killing game.

He looks back to the screen to make sure he didn't just see things and sees that Maki is crying. Kokichi is surprised for a second and then he realizes that she loved him so it makes perfect sense that she would cry for Kaito. Shuichi had cried for Kaede, Himiko had cried for Tenko. He'd always thought of Maki as a cold-blooded assassin but this expression on her face is something new and Kokichi feels any suspicion he had of Maki dissipate. How could someone who feels that much pain for someone be the mastermind forcing their loved ones to die.

When Kaito asks for all of them to send him off with smiles Maki is the only one who can't bring herself to do it. Kokichi looks at the faces of everyone else and searches for something that would give the mastermind away. He doesn't find anything.

When Kaito dies because of his sickness, not by the punishment, Kokichi feels a sense of pride. At least the idiot beat the mastermind at something.

He turns the T.V off after that. Right as he turns it off he hears a knock at the door before it opens. Kaede Akamatsu stands in the doorway and his eyes widen.

"Well this is a surprise. I didn't think you'd come to see me Kaede. I must've left quite the impression on you, huh?" Kaede sighs and steps into the room. Kokichi notices that she doesn't wear a uniform like Rantaro.

"I see that you haven't changed a bit since the last time I saw you Ouma."

"Nope. So what are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to see if you were okay. I heard what happened to you in the game." His mind flashes to the press and he blinks his eyes to will it away.

"I'm doing perfectly fine!" He raises his arm to wave at her but it takes all of his strength to lift it. "I've even got most of my control back, so I'm doing great. What about you?" Kaede frowns like she knows that he's lying but doesn't say anything about it.

"I'm fine. I heard that Rantaro came to visit you yesterday. How was it?" Kokichi has no idea why Kaede is asking him these questions, but answers either way. He'll figure it out as they talk.

"It went pretty well. He informed me that this wasn't Hell and I wasn't dead after all. He also talked about the mastermind too. Told me you weren't the one that killed him." Kaede nodded and Kokichi saw the anger in her eyes. Anger at the mastermind.

"Yeah. I couldn't believe that the mastermind framed me like that. And I completely believed that I was the one who killed him too." She shook her head and looked back at him with a smile. "Well, that's all in the past for now. I don't really feel like talking about that."

"Kaede why did you come here?" Kokichi asked her with a blank face. "If you don't want to talk about the killing game and the mastermind what did you come here for?"

"I just thought that you would want someone to talk to about anything. I caught some parts of the show and saw how lonely you were." He wondered how she figured it out. He thought he was hiding it so well under his lies. "I also planned to catch the mastermind, but I had Shuichi with me, so I wasn't as lonely. I thought you might want someone with you while you recover."

"You don't need to do that Kaede. I don't need it. You should go see Kaito instead since he just died in the game. He's an idiot so he'll need someone like you there to explain things to him." Kokichi hoped she would take the hint and leave. She stands up, but puts a piece of paper on the table next to the remote.

"Okay. If you don't want me here right how I'll leave you be. But this is my number in case you need anything. Rantaro's is there too, he told me to give it to you since he forgot. Call us if you wanna talk or need us to come or anything like that, okay? I'm not going to school like Rantaro, so I'm here for you whenever." She smiles and waves before leaving.

Kokichi wonders why she doesn't go to school like Rantaro does, but ignores his curiosity for now. It seems like every interaction he has with someone drains all of his energy away and he feels tired. He closes his eyes and falls quickly to sleep.

 **...**

A couple days later, he hears that the killing game has ended. The nurses talk at night when it's quiet and Kokichi is awake most of the time to hear them. Taking long naps during the day right after people visit doesn't help his sleep schedule at all. He doesn't feel like turning the T.V on and instead finds the phone that the nurse said was his before the game began. It holds a list of contacts he knows nothing about, but it is good for keeping up with the news from the killing game rather than watching for himself what was going on.

He brings up a page with information and begins to read.

...Shuichi, Maki, and Himiko were the ones that survived. He's not surprised at all that Shuichi and Maki made it, but Himiko is a surprise. He suspected someone like Kiibo would be there instead. Kokichi then reads that Kiibo was a stand in for the audience themselves and dealt out the punishment of the last trial. He gets to the part about the mastermind and is nothing but shocked.

Tsumugi? She's almost the last person that Kokichi would've suspected. She didn't seem too smart or too strong in his mind. But, he's been surprised and shocked by a lot of things in the past few days, so he should be used to it by now.

He sets his phone back down and the room returns to darkness.

Kokichi wants to see Shuichi again. He wants to talk with the detective and congratulate him for figuring out who the mastermind was in the end. For doing what Kokichi couldn't, no matter how hard he tried. Shuichi Saihara was the only person that Kokichi thought for a second that he could trust in. Tell the truth to. Work together with to end the killing.

He sighs and rolls to his side, closing his eyes. It's not like he could get up to go see him anyway. It'll take forever to walk without his legs giving up under him every time he takes a step. Physical therapy is going to be a pain.

He opens his eyes for a second and looks out at the city light outside his window, wondering where everyone else is right now. What hospital is Shuichi waking up in right now? Is he with with Maki and Himiko, or even Kiibo? He doesn't want to think about Tsumugi at all so he closes his eyes as his mind drifts over to the mastermind of the game. He flips over to his other side and curses at the amount of effort that it takes.

He decides that he doesn't feel like thinking about all of it and wills himself to fall asleep.

 **...**

Kaede comes to visit him the next day. He looks at her with a grin.

"Wow, I didn't think you'd come a second time! I must be really popular with you huh? Do you like me that much Kaede?" She only chuckles and shakes her head.

"Honestly, you are such delight to be around Ouma. The best."

"I try."

"Never a boring moment with you. Anyway I came because I wanted to ask you something." She sits down beside him and he moves to sit up on his bed. "Do...Do you wanna go see Shuichi with me." Kokichi freezes, his eyes widening. Kaede notices and puts her hands out in front of herself, trying to get him to calm down. "You don't have to! I just thought that since you were kinda close to him that you'd want to see him again. And I don't really want to go alone and Rantaro is busy at school so... Plus I already got permission from your nurse that I could take you with me to see him. But it's all up to you!" He looks down at his lap, thinking. Was he ready to see Shuichi? Probably not but...he really wants to go with Kaede.

It's really sappy but his heart is telling him to go.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'll go with you Kaede. If you need someone to go with you that badly, I guess I don't mind." She smiles and Kokichi can tell that she knows. She knows that he wants to see Shuichi just as badly as she does, maybe even more but, she doesn't say anything about it.

"Great. Thanks Kokichi." She stands up. "I'm gonna go and grab you something to wear. I'll also bring a wheelchair too. If you think of anything else text me before I get back here. Do you think an hour from now is a good time to leave?" He nods. "Cool. I'll see you later then. Bye." She leaves and Kokichi lets out a sigh. Honestly, he's way too weak to the detective. He'd written that Shuichi could be trustworthy on his white board in the game, so it's not anything new. He's always felt like he wanted to get closer to him anyway.

He smiles, looking out the window. He thinks about seeing Shuichi again, but not about what he'll say because when it turns out he doesn't know Kokichi will chicken out he knows it. He pulls out his phone and distracts himself by texting Rantaro while he's in the middle of class. He always responds, but never gets caught no matter how much Kokichi texts him.

When Kaede returns he changes into black jeans and a white shirt and appreciates the checkered scarf she also got him. It takes too long to get ready and Kokichi promises to himself that he'll actually try harder in physical therapy. He comes out and Kaede helps him to the wheelchair in front of the nurse that's entered the room. They exit the room and the nurse reminds the both of them that he has to be back in his room before visiting hours end. Kaede nods and then they're both off.

Since Kokichi is technically only in the hospital because of Danganronpa, he has more freedom then any of the other patients. He's glad that they don't need a nurse to supervise them while they're out. They do have a driver from the hospital though. Kokichi isn't sure how Kaede did that, but doesn't ask. It doesn't matter.

They begin the drive and it's silent. He doesn't like it. He notices Kaede has a bag with her.

"Hey, what's in that bag? Are you smuggling drugs across hospital lines to Shuichi?!" He gasps and Kaede chuckles.

"No. Sorry but, it's not that exciting. I just grabbed some food and drinks for him. Hospital food gets boring after awhile." Oh shoot. Kokichi tries to think about what he's eaten in the past few days, but can't bring up anything. The pianist gives him a look. "You've barely eaten anything since you woke up, huh?"

"Whaaaat? I've eaten plenty Kaede. Gotta build up the strength to punch Kaito in the face when I see him again for messing up the fifth trial." He lifts up his fist as he says this and grins.

"Are you really gonna hit him?!"

"That was a lie. Or maybe not. Who knows?"

"Ugh...There it is." Kokichi laughs. "I expected that this would come sooner or later. I really missed your lies oh so much Ouma." She grins at him. He could honestly say that he didn't expect to be as close to Kaede as he is now. But they can talk and joke around like the killing game never happened and Kokichi feels happy. He finds himself enjoying her company. Not that he'll ever admit that to her though.

"So have you talked to anyone else? Is Tenko visiting Himiko? I bet both of them are crying messes right now if she did go see her." Kaede smiles and nods.

"Yep! Tenko was so happy that Himiko survived till the end that she kept all the girls up last night with how excited she was. She probably went to see her the second the hospitals opened for visiting hours." he chuckles, imagine Tenko running inside the hospital, knocking things over just to get to Himiko's room as fast as possible. He laughs even harder as he thinks that the mage would probably still be sleeping so Tenko's run was pointless.

He and Kaede talk about more random things as they get closer to Shuichi's hospital, but the conversation halts when they pull into the parking lot. The driver stops and Kaede helps Kokichi into the wheelchair and they stop for a second, staring up at the hospital and taking a deep breath. She begins to push him through the doors and when they get to the front desk to ask for Shuichi's room the lady tells him it's on the 8th floor, room 827. They hop into the elevator and the ride up to the 8th floor is silent. Kokichi doesn't break it this time.

They move slowly to room 827. And when they reach it Kokichi is hit with all the anxiety this meeting brings at once. He takes a deep breath and releases it shakily. He folds his hands in his lap, trying to hide how much they're shaking. Kaede notices, of course she does. He notices that he can't hide much from her or Rantaro since he woke up from the game. Maybe his walls have dropped since he told Kaito everything in the game. He curses himself because Shuichi will definitely notice.

"Hey, you're shaking Ouma. Are you okay?"

"Of course I am. I'm only here because you wanted me to come. Why would I be nervous about seeing Shuichi? Are _you_ okay Kaede?" They both speak softly in low voices so that if Shuichi is awake, he won't hear them. She nods and stand up straight.

"Yep. I'm perfectly fine too. We'll both be fine. It's Shuichi after all." She knocks on the door and Kokichi holds his breath when he hears Shuichi's voice inviting them in. She opens the door and wheels him in. Kaede's smile is bright and contagious and Kokichi can't stop the small, happy smile that appears on his face when he sees Shuichi.

"Hey Shuichi! How're you doing?" Shuichi's eyes widen as tears form in them, but he gives her a big smile. Kokichi feels a bit jealous that it's not directed toward him, but Kaede is so important to Shuichi, so he can't be too unhappy about it.

"Hey Kaede. I'm really happy to see you." His eyes shift over to Kokichi. Kokichi braces himself for the smile to drop but it doesn't happen. "You too Ouma. I'm glad you're here." His heart pounds fast in his chest. He tries to ignore it for now and gives the detective a grin.

"Aww, really? I was sure that you hated me after the fourth trial. Did something in your heart change for me Shuichi?" The other boy chuckles, shaking his head.

"Yeah, sure. Anyway, can I talk to each of you alone. There's some stuff that I never got to say in the game so..." Shuichi's eyes drift over to Kaede and Kokichi starts to roll out of the room.

"Sure. Kaede can go first. I'm gonna go see if that little kid across the hall will push me as fast as they can down the hallway."

"Ouma wait don't-" He closes the door before they have a chance to say anything. He lets out a sigh and throws his head back to look at the ceiling. He closes his eyes. Kokichi thanks Atua that Shuichi didn't hate him when he saw him. That he didn't automatically frown or look away from Kokichi in disgust. He didn't ignore him and he even told him that he was happy to see him! Happy?! Shuichi was _glad_ that he was there. Thinking about it makes Kokichi's heart pound loudly in his chest and he tries to quiet it down.

Kaede and Shuichi will probably be talking for awhile, he guesses. After all that stuff that happened in the first trial and afterwards, they have plenty to discuss. It's both good and bad for Kokichi, since he'll have time to think about what to say to the detective, but he'll also be worried about it and the conversation the entire time too.

"Hey." Kokichi's eyes open and his thoughts are interrupted by a small girl. "I haven't seen you here before. Who are you?" Kokichi smiles at her.

"My name is Kokichi. I'm actually hear visiting my friend in the room behind me, but he's talking with someone else right now. What's your name?" The girl gives him a small smile.

"I'm Mayu. Hey, do you mind playing with me until you can go talk to your friend? I'm really bored."

"Course I don't mind. And I have a great idea." He tells her the plan and she grins. Kokichi decides that he really likes this kid. They go to a clear, open hallway.

"Alright Mayu. Are you ready?" Honestly he shouldn't be left alone with children, he's practically one himself. But this stunt isn't even that dangerous and Mayu looks like she knows what she's doing. She'd make a great addition to D.I.C.E if it were real.

"Yes! Let's do it!" He grins at her enthusiasm.

"Okay on the count of three! One!"

"Two!"

"Three!" She pushes him down the hallway as fast as she can before hopping on the back of the wheelchair as Kokichi begins to push the wheels with his hands. They ride down the long hallway, laughing and when they reach the end Mayu is eager to do it again. And who is Kokichi to stop the joy of a child? They're on their fourth run before a nurse catches them.

"Uh oh. Run!" Kokichi yells and Mayu hops onto the back of the chair as they start riding away from the nurse. Who's pretty scary actually. He takes the both of them around and back to outside of Shuichi's room. His arms are so tired from all of that, but when he sees the smile on the little girl's face it's worth it. She jumps up and down from the rush of excitement.

"That was so fun! And being chased by a nurse was awesome! Thank you so much Mr. Kokichi!" He laughs at the 'Mr' added to the beginning of his name.

"No problem. You can thank me by taking off the Mr before my name. Kokichi is fine. I had a lot of fun too. It was definitely not boring hanging out with you Mayu." All of his attention is focused on the girl in front of him so he doesn't notice Shuichi's door open and him and Kaede watching him with small smiles on their faces.

"You too Kokichi! All of my boredom went away! Thank you!" She reaches over and pulls him into a hug. His eyes widen for a moment, but he smiles and returns it. "I hope I'll be able to see you again sometime." She says to him, pulling away.

"Of course." He takes off the scarf around his neck and wraps it around hers. "And I'm gonna make you a member of my secret organization. The only policy we have is there can never be a single boring moment. Dedicate your life to having fun anywhere you can, anyway you can." Mayu grins, her eyes bright.

"Okay! I promise I will! And I'll see you later Kokichi!" She takes off running back to her room, he assumes.

"Okay Ouma. It's your turn." Kaede speaks behind him, making him jump. He looks up at her and Shuichi in the doorway and can tell that they heard everything he said to that girl. "And I didn't know you had such a soft side to you. You're really great with kids, aren't' you?" He turns his head away from her. Damn, she definitely saw him talking to Mayu.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. That was me recruiting a member for my secret evil organization. Children are the next generation you know. So they're a lot more powerful than old people. She'll make a great addition to D.I.C.E." She smiles.

"Sure. Anyway, I'm gonna head to the cafeteria. Kaito and Maki are down there, waiting for their turn to talk to Shuichi. See you in a bit." She turns and walks down the hallway and Kokichi rolls into the room, with Shuichi shutting the door after him. Kokichi's nerves return. He doesn't know what to say to the other boy, but he doesn't have to worry about it since Shuichi speaks to him first.

"I um...I wanted to apologize for what I said to you after the fourth trial." Kokichi looks at him in surprise. He wants to apologize? Why? It's not like Kokichi didn't deserve it. What he said to them before was awful. What he did to Gonta and Miu was awful, so why? Shuichi is giving him a look and he realizes that he said all of that out loud without meaning to. Damn, he really loses all control of what he says around the detective doesn't he?

"I know that what you did was awful. And I won't say that I've completely forgiven you for that, but I think that you were more focused on catching the mastermind and saving all of us than you were trying to hurt us. But what I said to you was also awful since I didn't understand what you were doing. You had been close to Gonta before then, so what I told you wasn't true at all. Even I had been trying to get close to you too before the fourth case. So I'm really sorry." Kokichi can only stare at him in surprise. He's really at a loss for words. He looks down, but there's a smile on his face.

"Thank you Shuichi." He says quietly. He looks back up, a grin on his face. "It really means a lot that you said that! And you were so serious my heart started racing!" He catches a light blush on Shuichi's face and a glare from him.

"Is that a lie? I really was trying to be serious you know." Kokichi laughs.

"Who knows? Is that all you wanted to talk about with me?"

"No, I also wanted to ask you why I was the only one you thought was trustworthy. Maki and I saw your whiteboard in your room. Also there was a random life size model of Rantaro in there too?" Kokichi laughs.

"That's because Rantaro was my friend! I missed him sooo much that I hung that in my room to remind me of him."

"Okay, and my first question?" Kokichi thinks about it for a moment.

"Because I like you?"

"Don't lie!" Kokichi laughs.

"Because I saw how you fought for the truth in the first trial. You even convicted Kaede, the person who you were the closest too just to find the truth. You thought with your mind instead of your heart, just like I do."

"So then, why didn't you just talk to me about your plan? I would've helped you out you know."

"Because dumb old Kaito came in and made you think more about believing in people without evidence instead of being suspicious of everyone until the truth came out. I thought that I'd be better on my own after that. What if someone like Kaito was the mastermind? I didn't think you'd be able to take him down."

"Ah, okay. You were really thinking ahead the entire time, weren't you?"

"Of course I was. I didn't want to be killed over anything. And the reason I didn't tell a single person about my plan was because I was terrified of dying." Shuichi's eyes widen in surprise. "I wanted to live no matter what. Even if that meant sacrificing anything else." Even if it meant sacrificing Gonta, he doesn't say. He also doesn't say how alone he felt in his plan as the fake mastermind and doesn't say how much it hurt to separate himself from everyone else. But he thinks that Shuichi will probably read between the lines. He'll figure it out, he's a detective so-

"You went through a lot, didn't you Ouma? You were hurting just as much as everyone else, huh?" Shuichi's hand wipes away some of the tears that fall from his eyes, and Kokichi realizes that he's crying. Dammit! The strong walls he built up around himself in the killing game crumble when he's with Shuichi. His heart is way too weak to the detective, but...he has to admit that it's nice to let things out around him.

"Yeah, thanks for noticing Shuichi." he says with a laugh. He wipes away his tears and grins at the other boy. "Anyway, if you're done asking questions, I have something to say too." Shuichi smiles.

"Oh? What is it?"

"Congrats on winning the game. You're super reliable so I knew that you'd be able to do it! I expected nothing less from my beloved Shuichi."

"It was only thanks to all the clues that you left behind. I don't think I could've solved a lot of the case if I hadn't had the information those clues gave me."

"Well duh. You practically solved everything yourself with some help from me when I was alive. Even in death I was helpful to you. I must really love you to go out of my way from beyond the grave."

"Yeah, sure. So how're you doing with your recovery." He gestures to the wheelchair.

"Not well. I may lose my legs permanently because of the nerve damage."

"Is that a lie?"

"Wow, I can't hide anything around you anymore, can I?" Shuichi grins.

"Nope. Kaede and I even saw your soft side with that girl you were playing with before."

"Hey, I thought I told you that was for business purposes only. You have to get on a kid's good side to make them part of an evil organization."

"Oh, of course."

"Anyway, I should go. Kaito and Maki are here to see you and I have to catch Kaito so I can punch him for screwing up my trial. And get him back for hitting me that one time."

"Please don't."

"Just kidding! That was a lie!" Shuichi gives him a look. "I'm serious. Besides, I can't run away if he gets angry at me, so I have to punch him once I get out of this wheelchair." He starts rolling to the door and Shuichi opens it for him. "See ya Shuichi!"

"Bye Ouma. I'll see you later."

 **...**

When he gets back to his hospital room, he hops straight into bed, so tired from talking with so many people today. Three isn't a huge number, but it's two more than the one a day he's had for the past few days since he woke up. He's completely drained from the day.

But he's also so relieved. Talking with Shuichi, letting out some of the leftover thoughts and feelings he had on the game helped him so much. Even just seeing Shuichi would've been enough, but he got so much more out of the exchange than he needed. He has to remember to thank Kaede the next time he sees her.

He rolls over and closes his eyes, falling into the easiest and most peaceful sleep he's had in a long time.


	2. Training Trio Reunion

**Author's note!**

Okay so at first I intended to have the first chapter as a one-shot but I forgot to hit completed when I published it lol.

BUT it's fine because I wrote more ^^ (It's like 6,000 words shorter since it's only a reunion not all the waking up and freaking out stuff)

This is a direct continuation of the last chapter but this time Shuichi reunites with Kaito and Maki and it's in Kaito's perspective.

* * *

Kaito wonders what he'll say to his best friend when he finally sees him again. When he went to see Maki there were no words or any giant gestures already planned out in his mind, he'd just spoken from his heart. He'll do the same with Shuichi too, and just say what he wants to in that moment. He's always been more of an emotional person rather than logical anyway.

He looks over to Maki who's sitting across from him at the table. "So, do you know what you'll say to Shuichi?" She looks up at him.

"No. I'm guessing that you're just gonna wing it?" Kaito grins.

"Of course. I'll know what to say in the moment." Maki hums. She turns to look out the window.

"I… I'm still trying to wrap my head around the whole things being virtual. That last trial that we went through was…" She trails off trying to find the right word.

"Crazy? Insane? Pretty awful?"

"Yeah, any of those could work. But, Tsumugi really had me believing that what she said was true. I think all of us were breaking down but Kiibo and Shuichi ended the whole thing. I forgot if I thanked him while we were still there, but I'm sure that you'll have more to say to him than me."

"Maybe. I've gotta congratulate him on ending the thing. Hey, this will be the first time in awhile that all three of us with be together as a trio again!" Maki smiles.

"You must be looking forward to training again." Kaito laughs.

"Oh course! I may not officially be the Ultimate Astronaut, but I can still train like one! Let's start em up again once you guys get out of the hospital."

"Hey guys!" A new voice joins the two of them. Kaito turns around and sees Kaede waving at them. She smiles."What's up? Are you two here to visit Shuichi?"

"Yeah. He said that we'd have to wait a bit since he had another visitor. I thought it would be you, Kaede. Anyway, is he free now?"

"No, you'll have to wait a bit longer. Ouma is up there right now. We came here together."

"What?! You're hanging out with Kokichi, Kaede? Since when?" She laughs at Kaito's reaction.

"I think I was the second one to visit him when he woke up. I don't know, talking with him has been pretty fun. When he's not trying to pretend to be the mastermind, he's a pretty decent guy. Still lies all the time, but he's much easier to read than before."

"Ugh, I don't wanna see him. I'm still pissed about how he acted toward the end." On cue, the elevator door dinged and Kokichi came rolling out in a wheelchair.

Wait, why was he in a wheelchair?

Kokichi rolls over and gives him and Maki a grin. "Hey, guys I haven't seen you in forever! Did ya miss me?"

"Yeah, in your dreams. But, what are you doing in that wheelchair?"

"It turns out that being crushed to death in a game that's hooked up to your nerves and stuff isn't very good for you. I'm become permanently paralyzed in my legs."

"Wait seriously?!" Maki facepalms.

"No, he's lying Kaito. If that were true then his arms wouldn't be working either." Kokichi laughs.

"Ah, I've missed these conversations. Anyway you guys better get up to Shuichi's room if you wanna talk to him. I bet he's already really drained from talking to Kaede and crying his eyes out so you better hurry before he falls asleep." Kaede scoffs.

"Please, like you weren't crying when you saw him." Kokichi gasps.

"I am insulted. You think I would cry for-" He stop mid sentence but covers it up quickly. "I don't cry ever, sorry. Anyway, you should probably take me back to the other hospital before the nurse finds out you smuggled drugs over to Shuichi."

"Those were snacks!"

"Suspicious."

"No! It's not!" They begin walking toward the exit and Kaede waves at them before she pushes Kokichi out the doors. Kaito smiles and waves back before and he and Maki hop into an elevator. They ride up to Shuichi's floor and then find room 827. Kaito doesn't even think before knocking on the door and then opening it. He smiles.

"Hey Shuichi! It good to see you again." The detective is sitting up on his bed, and when his two best friends walk in he smiles.

"Hey Kaito, it's great to see you. You too Maki, I'm happy to see you both." When he moves to get up, Kaito rushes over and wraps him in a hug.

"I've really missed you buddy. Ever since I woke up I'd been so excited to see you and Maki Roll again." When he pulls back he can see Shuichi's eyes watering but the smile remains on his face. Out of the corner of his eye he can also see Maki watching with a smile on her face.

"Yeah, I missed you too. And I'm really glad that I get to see you again." Kaito grins and pulls him and Maki into a group hug.

"Good job surviving till the end you two! As my sidekick and training partners there was no doubt."

"Yeah, we couldn't have done it without your amazing guidance." Kaito chooses to ignore Maki's sarcasm.

"Well, I don't think I could've solved the case without the confidence Kaito gave me."

"Yeah, see! Thank you Shuichi, it's nice to see my efforts appreciated." Maki rolls her eyes, but there's a smile on her face. Shuichi's laughing, looking a lot more bright than he did at the end of the killing game.

Kaito hates Danganronpa with his entire being, but he is grateful that it was virtual. It's the only thing that he's grateful to that awful game for. There's no other place he'd rather be, and now that the game is over all three of them won't have to separate ever again.

"Once you guys are release we are going to start training again!"

"You mean me and Shuichi are going to train will you relax."

"Hey! I train with you guys. I'm just so fast I finish way before you two." Shuichi laughs.

"Yeah, sure Kaito."

"Wow, I visit you two and reunite us and in return I get this. I can't believe it." He starts laughing be the end and Shuichi's room is filled with it. He even gets a small chuckle out of Maki, which Kaito is proud of.

They spend the whole day talking, and it's like nothing has changed from where they left off.

…

When the nurse walks in to check on Shuichi she finds all three of them curled up together asleep. She can only smile and with reluctance wake them up as visiting hours are over. Shuichi's friends wake without a fuss and leave with a promise to return tomorrow.


End file.
